He won the election from Mathura on BJP ticket with a comfortable margin and was appointed minister of state for energy, a portfolio the previous CM had reserved for himself.TNN | Updated: May 01, 2017, 10:53 IST

New Delhi: Making debut in electoral politics, Shrikant Sharma not only won the election from Mathura on BJP ticket with a comfortable margin, he was appointed minister of state for energy, a portfolio, the previous chief minister had reserved for himself. Seen in the BJP cadre as the trusted man of national BJP chief Amit Shah, Sharma is also the UP government spokesperson along with another minister of state Siddharth Nath Singh. With the state reeling under power crisis for years now and situation only worsening with time, Sharma talks to Rajiv Srivastava on how he plans to improve the scenario. Excerpts:

As energy minister, what are your priorities?

The first and foremost priority is to give electricity to the consumer as per the roster of 18 hours in villages, 20 hours in tehsil and Bundelkhand region and 24 hours in major cities.

How do you plan to cope with power pilferage in the state which is higher compared to the national figure?

The power department has been in a mess. Efforts are being made to improve the situation. In a bid to check online losses and power theft, the state government would soon come up with separate police stations. Post budget, there would be 75 police stations specifically for power related crime, which means each district will have one police station to deal with crime related to electricity. In addition to that, in monsoon session of UP Assembly, government would come up with a stringent law to check power theft.

Chief minister Aditya Nath Yogi had said there would be no VIP district in the state as far as providing electricity is concerned. How do you plan to ensure equal distribution of electricity?

As per the chief minister's directives, a scheme has been launched from April 26 according to which, any district where line losses and power pilferage is less or minimal would get 100% and 24-hour supply. The idea is to ensure the honest consumer doesn't suffer because of a few corrupt elements. A total of 75 feeders and 16 63 KVA sub stations has been put under this category.

Are there any plans to implement underground cabling under IPDS just like it is being done in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency of Varanasi?

In the next two years, the government wants to go for underground cabling of all districts under IPDS scheme. But in a bid to do away with wires hanging around, the energy department has set a target to ensure underground cabling in at least 14 corporations as early as possible. Give us two years and we will show how improvement in the state's power scenario.

At a time losses in electricity department are highest, what was the need to give rebate on surchage?

As I said earlier, energy department has been in a mess and Yogi government has decided to improve power situation in the state at the earliest. It is for this reason that OTS (one-time settlement) scheme has been launched under which any consumer can now pay a minimum of Rs 10,000 and remaining amount can been deposited in EMI of four intallments in order to improve revenue collection. Besides, campaign to legalise all illegal connections has been launched. Similarly, those who have residential connections and are using them commercially have the last chance to get the connection converted without facing penalty or action. While 100% rebate is meant for all form consumers, small-scale industries have been allowed 50% surcharge rebate on their pending dues. All such schemes began on April 14 and would continue until June 15.

UP government has entered into an agreement under 'Power for All' scheme with Centre, how will it benefit the people of the state?

Power for All scheme will ensure there is no shortage of electricity for the consumers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Aditya Nath Yogi have promised that no village in the country in general and state in particular would be without electricity by 2019. The scheme will ensure the target is achieved. As of now, routine requirement in the state is of about 16,500MW. And the same crosses 17,000MW mark during peak hours. Since the UP government has arrangement of 16,500MW, the remaining would be purchased from the Central pool at a cheaper rate as and when required under the scheme.

As per the latest condition, transmission lines in the state cannot bear the load of existing requirement. How will the increased demand of power be met?

Transmission lines and other infrastructure are in a shambles. The government is determined to improve the scenario in the next couple of years. It is for this reason that stopping power theft is biggest priority for the government.

You are talking about improving power scenario when distribution of electricity bills in villages is delayed by up to a year This accumulates the electricity bill making it difficult for consumers to pay in one go. How will you improve the scenario?

There have been cases of bills not reaching the consumer for several months and to check that, energy department is now strengthening its online bill payment system. Besides, the department is also devising ways to ensure bills are deposited through mobile phone. Besides, if needed private agencies would be hired to ensure bill reaches the consumer the same month.

Does Yogi government plan to carry forward the pre-paid metering system?

It is a very good concept but brakes have been put on the scheme. With new government in power, pre-paid metres would be launched again with a campaign.